Just Because
by radiany
Summary: [for clarity] Otogi and Jounouchi swap insults, life advice, and beauty tips. Though it's not like they have much of a choice. [OtogiJou with HondaShizuka at one of my stranger moments. With handcuffs, a closet, and a whole new way to bicker. Go me.]


**labels **shonen-ai hints; het hints; profanity; lying; copyrighted material; dry humour; sarcasm; violence, sort of; life advice; real extreme OOC; drabble; oneshot; pg13

**.b.******

See? A phase. Of course, I plan to keep the style and modify it as time passes. Anyhow, this is…um. This is not how I intended it to be (really, I had the plot bunny trapped in my "summaries" page for four months straight). I had been planning to make them go into some homoerotic, hey-ma-no-hands snogging session like **Maya** but it turned out to be…cute. Yes, cute. Scream. Run away.

Plot idea came from **Chains**, **Maya**'s insane snogging snippet. Some (coughmostcough) of the plot content is also credited to her.

For **clarity**, who asked for "fluff."

**Just Because**

Once the clock struck ten, it was common procedure for the janitors to do a roundabout of the building, rattling doorknobs and bolting any unlocked doors they found. The lights would then be switched off, the entrances secured, and it was called a day. All that was left to accompany the school were the sounds of crickets and a vague, faint flapping in the dark.

And, just now, a long line of profanity echoing within an undiscovered storage closet.

"I don't believe this!"

Otogi tried to keep his voice steady, and just barely managed to resist the urge to smash Jounouchi's face upon the opposite wall. "You –"

"They didn't go down this hall?! What kinda janitors do we have?!"

"It's –"

"I'll bet they _knew_, those bastards –"

"SHUT UP!"

Jounouchi gave a yell of surprise when his forehead suddenly hit the wall, rather violently at that. Otogi leaned forward and smirked with satisfaction, ignoring the dull ache blooming at the back of his skull. It was a lucky thing that they couldn't face each other, or Otogi might've burned under the furious glare of one, very, pissed Jounouchi.

Predictably, as soon as Jounouchi settled the jangling inside his head, he began shouting. "What the hell was that for?"

And, as cool as a cucumber, Otogi eyed the door beside them, wondering all the while if it might be possible to oust the damn thing despite its being locked. "You've been complaining for all the EIGHT hours we've been here. Anyone in their right sense would go insane from your babblings. Of course, with good looks and Lady Luck on my side, I'm still immune; though I don't think I can say the same for you."

Jounouchi ground his teeth. "Go to hell, Otogi."

"I can't go anywhere right now," Otogi said in a sing-song voice that made Jounouchi want to punch his face in. "I'm a little tied up at the moment, if you hadn't noticed!"

Rolling his eyes at the lame pun, Jounouchi gave the handcuffs a sharp jerk, grinning at the gasp of pain that resulted. Well, it looked like he wouldn't be able to punch anything with his hands tied behind his back, but maybe there was a way to strangle Otogi with the chains…

"Did that knock on the head cough out your peanut of a brain? You're going to chaff my wrists!"

Maybe.

"You're a pansy, you know that? Besides, this is your fault so you deserve it!"

"My fault? Just how is this _my__ fault_?!"

Yeah, looks like there's a possibility. The other problem would be dragging around the body…

Jounouchi made a face. "If it weren't for you, then Honda wouldn't have manipulated me into that stupid story just to kill two birds with one stone!"

Otogi raised an eyebrow. "Hey, hey, Shizuka is pretty cute but I've moved on. Besides, if you weren't always interfering with his relationship with Shizuka –"

"Shizuka. Is. My. _Little_. _Sister_."

"Exactly; so shouldn't you trust her morality?"

Jounouchi opened his mouth to retort but ended up closing it. He stared off into space for a few seconds, pondering, and Otogi felt him relax against their converged backs, albeit bemused.

"Maybe. But that doesn't stop me from worrying."

"I don't think that anyone, especially big brothers, couldn't worry," Otogi paused and noted that Jounouchi was beginning to lean against his shoulder, "But you have to let them fly solo sometime or later. It's not as if you can stop that, so just believe in them enough to know that they'll make the right decisions."

"And if they don't…?" By this time, Jounouchi was starting to feel humming throughout his body, and he rested his head against Otogi. Hey, wasn't his fault that Otogi used his alien thermometer to make his temperature soar in the middle of fucking February.

"Then…" Otogi shifted in order to support his drowsy companion, "Jounouchi. You're like an enormous dumbbell. Literally. Get off."

"Shawwup…Otogi…'M not that heavy," Jounouchi closed his eyes, "Then what…?"

Otogi rolled his eyes, mumbling a low 'so you say,' and moved closer to Jounouchi so that their hands weren't stretched so far apart. "Then you'll just have to help them when you can and leave the rest up to them. It's their life, after all."

Jounouchi snorted lightly and yawned under his breath before speaking. "Otogi Ryuuji, the philosopher…It's like a nightmare come true."

"Oh shut up. You're the one who asked in the first place."

Despite the circumstances, Otogi had a strange feeling that Jounouchi gave him a sleepy smile and he nudged Jounouchi's thumb in his state of unease. Jounouchi didn't respond and – though it was a terribly stupid fear – Otogi thought he might've died.

"Jounouchi?"

Jounouchi snored.

Otogi groaned. Here he was, the most handsome teenager ever known to mankind, sitting on his ass and cuffed to a true blond who planned to snore all night long. And in a storage room, which just happened to be locked. And at midnight (at least, he thought it was).

How would they be able to survive the night with such limited oxygen? Would anyone even find them? And most important of all: how would he be able to wash?

Jounouchi's fingers curled around his wrist, effectively wrapping around it in the slightest way yet still ensnaring it within the grasp.

Oh, hell. If Lady Luck still loved him, they'd be found by morning (hopefully still alive and hopefully soon).

Shaking his head in exasperation, he closed his eyes in half-salute and whispered good night into the air, hoping very, very desperately that Jounouchi didn't hear it (which was stupid, because Jounouchi was already asleep).

He didn't know if it was a good or bad thing when Jounouchi squeezed his hand and murmured good morning.

**fin**

**.a.**

finished september 14th, 2004.

Muwhahaha. The pointless is smothering me. And you. Jounouchi is basically Harry and Otogi Draco. Does that even match up?

Valley girl: This is –so- a parody.

The original name was "In the Closet," but then I remembered that I already had one named "Closet" and the title's a classic anyway. I thought about naming it "Be My Valentine," but I cringed.

**10:15 pm**


End file.
